Torn stomach muscle boarding?

After a long day of boarding a couple weeks ago I noticed that my abs hurt on one side quite a bit. This went away pretty quick, but each time I bust it hurts a little.

Well today I took a pretty hard, face smacking bust and my gut hurts pretty bad now. It has been 2 hours since I got off the water and it sure still hurts.

It's not "go to the doctor" pain though. They would say "you tore ___ muscle and you should never wakeboard again", which isnt the answer.

What do you all do to prevent hurting your abs more and is there anything I can do to allow them to heal while I still board? Not boarding for 4 weeks isn't a solution :-)

Thanks

No.

I did the same thing & eventually tore the muscle to the point where my "6-pack" is a 5-1/2 pack...

Let it heal.

Let it heal and start a core training program. My friend has the same injury right now. They take a while to heal.

What do you mean by a core training program?

I hit the gym either 2-3 days for weights and 1 or 2 days for playing racquetball. I do ab exercises all days that I go. I thought I had some pretty strong abs too until this happened.

I had a really sore set of ab muscles last summer and continued to ride. One day I felt the bottom right one pull when I was directly upside down on a backroll. I had a really painful time just getting on the platform afterwards and could not sit up under my own power for a few days.

I had to take it easy for 4-5 weeks. Work on your switch riding and wakeskating.

I think the problem is doing a bunch of crunches, etc *shortens* the ab wall - then you catch a frontside edge and stretch the hell out of your abs, tearing them.

Let it heal, but in the meantime make sure you stretch your abs - do back bends, yoga cobra pose, etc so the next time you do the abs will be able to handle the stretch.

Very interesting. I do tons of abs and the more they hurt the more I did. I'll definitly try some stretching tecniques.

You may have had a small hernia that is now a larger one after all the falls. You should go and be seen by a doctor to have this evaluated and seen if there is one there. if so---surgery or watch it closely. If not--continue a core training program. You also may want to begin to use a Swiss ball for some execrises too, they help a ton.

my injuries have been less this year with core training. only one hamstring strain, and one ab strain.

Dont forget that your lower back is the opposite complimental muscle; so strengthening the lower back will help from strectching your abs too far.

I pulled my stomach muscle doing tantrums and got like a little bubble on top of the muscle. Went to the doctor and he said I just pulled. He said when you pull a muscle it releases blood and it will absorb it in a few days. Anyway he said it would take about a month to heal and he knew I wasnt going to stop boarding so it would take longer to heal. He also said situps will help and stretching. Put your hands on your lower back and bend backwards and look up and go side to side to stretch the muscles. Do this a few times a day. I was also worried about a hernia and he said it is very difficult to get a hernia that way. Hope this helps.

The area that I have pulled is up pretty high, maybe 1/4 inch above the belly button but over some. I know you can get hernia up that high but I dont think its as common. I'm also only 25.

I'm going to give it a couple days rest until it doesn't hurt to stretch back real far. Then I'll be doing the daily stretches like sugguested and see how that does.

I face planted once super quick and did not let go of the rope fast enough and it really stretched my abdomen probabbly tore a little very sore for about a week. S%$#@! Happens be careful

I hate to do this again, but no one else is posting pics, and I was in enough pain (read:whiney-a$$ baby), that I feel obligated to share just one more time!

I caught a front edge on a w2w jump, and my bindings did not release. End result - got yanked pretty hard. Enough to do the damage. Took about 2 months before I felt like riding again. No hernia though. If you ever do something like this (and I don't recommend it), go get it checked out.

Pic is about 3-4 days after fall/crash. Hope yours does not look like this!!

Damn! Sorry. I will shrink the pic up a bit next time!! Even scared me!

Its the next day now and doing some sit ups hurts a little and stretching back real far still hurts a little. No bruising. I think it will be fine in a few days. Thats the worst bruise I have ever seen in the picture.

I can't decide what is the nastiest aspect of that picture....the bruising or the hairy belly!

I have "torn" my abs a few times.....now I strectch my abs for 3 or 4 minutes before I ride and no problems lately.

Alot of streching them backwards like a back bend?

My god that is a nasty pic!

I tore an ab muscle a couple years ago, and I was out for about 4 weeks. Those muscles take a long time to heal.

I thought we went over this last year!!!!! Post some sort of warning before you put that pic up again.

I caught myself looking for the water fountains like we had in chem lab to flush my eyes out after seeing that.

THE HORROR!!!!!

I did the same thing...feels great. I love it the next morning when you get out of bed and forget about it. OUCH!!!!!!

Damn Buzz!! do some sit ups!!!!!!!!!!

does anyone stretch before and after they wakeboard??? stretching will definitely help minimize injuries.

I have the same injury right now. Lower left ab at about the hair line. Went to tht doc and he said no hernia but he wants a surgeon to look at it to rule out any major damage. But for now just a tear and no riding for a couple of weeks. It has been 4 weeks for me now, in that 4 weeks though I rode twice and both times it set me back some time. Still healing.